OVERVIEW
“Identity” refers to a child’s sense of self—who she is, what is important to her, where she comes from and what she believes about her own abilities and worth. Family is a baby’s first source of information about who she is and where she belongs. Families have a tremendous influence on a baby’s beliefs about herself. Strong and loving families can help babies develop a positive self-image. As they grow, that positive self-image gives her confidence in her abilities, helps her bounce back when she experiences difficulties and makes her feel connected to her family and community.

PRACTICE
In the Home
When parents/caregivers are ready, encourage them to help their baby create loving relationships with family, friends and community members. Extended family members can provide the baby with exposure to cultural traditions and language, and contribute to her sense of belonging. If you wish, you can talk about your own experience building community and relationships.
In the Centre
You can establish positive relationships with the parents/caregivers of the children in your group. Family engagement and inclusion can take many forms, depending on the comfort of the family. Families are their child’s first teachers and it’s important to honour that relationship and their impact on their child’s development. You can invite families to visit the centre and ask them about their child’s interests and routines. You can encourage them to bring in a comfort item for their child. You can create a family wall, with photos of the children and their families displayed where children can see them. This lets children feel connected to their family and to the centre. Include family members by asking them if they’d like to volunteer for field trips or invite them to speak to the group.

REFLECTION
How soon are you ready to have visitors?
Who are the people most important to you and your family?
Who will be a support to you and the baby?
Who would you like the baby to feel comfortable with?
How do you feel when others hold the baby?

DOMAINS OF EXPERIENCE
Social-emotional Spiritual-cultural

OVERVIEW
Children do not have the voice or the insight to fight for what they need. They rely on their parents/caregivers to speak for them.

PRACTICE
In the Home
Encourage parents/caregivers to learn about their child’s development and find out about the supports and services available to the whole family. There are many different times during a child’s life when parents/caregivers need extra support. Dealing with service providers can become overwhelming or stressful and can cause parents/caregivers to “check out.” You can give them the tools they need to be an effective advocate. This will ensure that the child’s needs are met. It will also give parents/caregivers the confidence to handle similar situations in the future. By becoming educated and practising advocacy, parents/caregivers will begin to feel in control of their own life. This increases their hope for the future and will give the child an opportunity to model himself after strong family members.
To learn as much as possible about their child, parents/caregivers might ask themselves, “What do I want for my child?” “What is my child really good at?” and “What is my child still working toward?”
Sometimes there are struggles with children that come up repeatedly. Talk to parents/caregivers about keeping track of their concerns by making a list. They can then bring the list with them as a reminder when they visit their doctor, social worker or you. They could also ask someone to come to appointments with them to listen and take notes. You can tell them about the services available and help them prepare for what they will do and say when they use those services.
You can inform parents/caregivers about their rights and what they are entitled to. You can help build a strong support system around the family that will help parents/caregivers understand what they need so they can speak up for themselves and their family.

REFLECTION
What are your first feelings when you speak to someone about the child’s needs?
What can help you to feel confident and effective?
Who can you practise with beforehand? How did it go?
What would you like to do differently next time?